She did not just shiver.
She glanced around the table, suddenly worried the girls would see her every thought scrawled across her face.
They were staring at her. She realized someone had just said her name.
“What?” she asked, her eyes bouncing from Julia to Shelby and back to Natalie, who cocked a brow. “What?”
“Sheesh,” Julia said. “What’s got you so uptight?”
“Are you okay, honey?” Shelby asked.
“I’m fine.” Good grief, how many times would she say that tonight? She sent off the text, then closed her phone and tossed it into the cavity of her bag.
“Did you see that?” Natalie asked.
“Yep,” Julia said.
“Something’s wrong,” Natalie said. “You just tossed your phone in your purse.”
“Without regard for its proper place,” Shelby added.
“Nothing’s wrong.” Reese frowned at the girls. “This is Natalie’s night. And besides . . .” One more time. “I’m fine.”
“She’s got that look in her eyes.” Julia took a sip of tea.
“I see it too.” Natalie put her bling away. “What happened?”
Couldn’t she even have one little moment of stupid without the girls finding out?
Shelby smiled knowingly. “It’s a man.”
“Definitely a man,” Julia said.
“It’s not a man.” She lowered her voice. “It’s Griffen.”
“Uh, Griffen is a man,” Julia said. “In case you haven’t noticed.”
She had noticed. Boy, had she noticed. Reese shook her head as if she could shake away the unbuddy-like thought.
“What happened, honey?” Shelby asked. “Was his quote too high?”
“This isn’t about a quote.” Natalie leaned in. “Look, she’s blushing. Tell all, and quick before Zoe needs my help.”
“There’s nothing to tell. It was silly.”
“What was silly?” Julia asked.
They were like a dog with a bone. Might as well get it over with. They’d never leave it alone.
“It was nothing—just something strange that happened before I got here. Griffen and I were playing ball, and our feet got tangled up. We fell. He kinda landed on top of me, and we were lying there and—I don’t know. It was just . . . weird.”
“Weird . . .” Julia hiked a brow. “Or good?”
Reese frowned. “Weird. And good. It was weird because it was good.”
Natalie’s dark eyes twinkled. “I knew it! I knew this would happen.”
Reese folded her arms. “Knew what would happen?”
“Men and women can’t be just friends.” Natalie punctuated the thought with a nod of certainty.
“I beg your pardon. Griff and I have been friends most of our lives.”
“Until now.” Shelby gave an unladylike snort, then straightened when Reese nailed her with a look. “Besides, look at Nick and me. We were just friends too.”
“It’s not like that. It was just an aberration. I probably hit my head and knocked a few marbles loose.”
“How did it feel?” Shelby asked. “The Griffen thing, not the marbles.”
Reese shrugged, remembering. She remembered his touch on her skin, remembered wanting him to touch her again. “It was like he wasn’t Griff—like he was a man.”
Julia raised a finger. “Uh, once again—”
“I know he’s a man!” Reese said too loudly, then looked around and slouched deep into the leather cushions.
“What about Griffen?” Shelby asked. “How did he react?”
“He was afraid he’d hurt me. He kept asking if I was okay.”
“Do you think he had the same thoughts?” Natalie asked.
“No!” Good grief, she was never going to live this down.
“And not one word to him about this. It would make things awkward and totally ruin a great friendship.”
“We won’t say a word,” Natalie said. “But don’t rule out the possibility of something more, Reese. Some of the best marriages start with friendship.”
Marriage? Had her friend lost her mind?
Shelby smiled dreamily. “I think you’d make the cutest couple.”
She couldn’t believe they were talking this way—about her and Griffen. The love bug had bitten them all hard.
“You’re all too love-struck to be objective. He’s my buddy.
I’ve never even thought of us together that way. Never.”
Reese scanned the group, stopping at Shelby, remembering again the day she’d spotted Griffen across the grocery store parking lot. Shelby was remembering too—she could see it in her friend’s eyes. That was different. She hadn’t known it was Griffen she was ogling.
Reese looked at Julia. “What about you? Aren’t you going to chime in too?”
Julia set her teacup down, smiled saucily, and shrugged her slight shoulders. “Never say never.”
CHAPTER THREE
Lunchtime,” Reese said.
She draped the old dusty counter with a clean sheet of plastic and started unpacking the cooler. From the radio in the corner, Bing Crosby crooned about a white Christmas.
Griffen grabbed the jug of water and splashed it over his hands in the sink.
She scanned her store. Chunks of drywall littered the drop cloths, two-by-fours were stacked haphazardly against one wall, and a fine layer of dust coated everything. Griffen had warned her it would look worse before it looked better. He wasn’t kidding.
He’d talked her into removing the walls. He had a way of doing that—talking her into things. And she had to admit, when she saw the brick behind them, she was glad he’d changed her mind.
He pulled up a stool and took a seat across from her. “Looks good.” They’d taken turns packing a lunch, and today’s fare was her treat. Club sandwiches on whole wheat bread, fresh fruit, and Doritos—his favorite.
Griffen said grace, then popped the tab on his Coke. “Okay, what gives? You’ve been nothing but quiet for two weeks.”
His blue eyes plowed into hers, and she made a deal of arranging the lettuce and tomato on her sandwich. She hated this. What she’d hoped was a temporary aberration, a moment of insanity, had followed her around for two weeks like an orphaned puppy. And being with him every waking hour of the day wasn’t helping.
“It’ll be okay,” he said. “I’ll have you up and running on time.”
“I know you will.”
“If it’s not that, what is it?”
She should’ve taken the lifeline he’d offered. He had drywall dust in his hair, and a streak of something dark across his cheek. In short, he looked adorable.
She pressed her lips together.
He put his hand over hers. It was still cool from the water and rough against the back of her hand. “You worried about opening the store?”
She pulled her hand away and picked up her sandwich. “What if I made the wrong decision? It’s a lot of money, and what do I know about running a business?”
“You’ve planned this down to the smallest detail. And what you don’t know, Natalie can teach you.”
Her friend had already helped her with incorporating and all the business stuff Reese had been afraid of.
“What if the town doesn’t take off like we hoped? Natalie is sure it will, but you know Natalie. She’s so optimistic she’s practically delusional—and I mean that in the nicest way.”
Griffen smiled, a half grin that kicked her in the gut. Why hadn’t she ever noticed the way his eyes crinkled when he smiled, the way his long lashes tangled at the corners?
Holy moly. If he knew what she was thinking right now, she’d die a thousand deaths.
“We’ve already got tourists. The wedding and media will seal the deal. You’ll see.”
“Hope you’re right.” She took a bite of her sandwich.
“I’m proud of you for stepping out on faith. You won’t regret it.”
“If this is what stepping out on faith fe
els like, I see why I’ve never been a big fan.”
“You know what they say, ‘If you could do it on your own, you wouldn’t need God.’”
Easy for Griffen to say. He’d moved to Pennsylvania and traveled the world on mission projects. She couldn’t imagine having that kind of courage, being that spontaneous.
They ate in silence. Griffen took down his sandwich and half of hers when she shoved it to the side.
When he finished, he began clearing his trash. “What’s that big box out back? I almost tripped over it this morning.”
“Ice skates and lots of them. They arrived last night. I’m gonna have to get the back lot fenced in soon so I can start moving stuff over. My garage looks like a bicycle factory exploded.”
Griffen drained the last of his Coke. “Let’s go skating Saturday night.”
“What?” She’d heard him, just needed a few seconds to fabricate a decent excuse.
“We can try out your new skates on the town square.”
Wasn’t it enough she had to fight these feelings five days a week? She took a bite of pineapple, chewed and swallowed without tasting. It was just the kind of thing they’d always done. But it was different now. Way different.
He stood and slipped into his parka. “Have to run to the hardware store. What d’ya say? We on for Saturday?”
Reese cleared her trash, searching high and low for an excuse. Why couldn’t she have plans? A date? She was a reasonably attractive young woman, wasn’t she? She wondered if one of the girls was free. Probably all had dates with their new loves.
Griffen raised his brows, waiting. The song on the radio ended, ushering in a beat of silence.
“Sure.” She bit the inside of her mouth. Hard. What was she doing? How long did she think she could hide her feelings when they were together 24/7?
“Great. Won’t be long.” He exited the shop. She watched him cross the plate-glass window, then dropped her head in her folded arms and moaned.
Why did things have to get so complicated? Everything had been just hunky-dory before. She had a great friend, the best contractor for her new shop, and a buddy to challenge her on the court and slopes, all wrapped in one convenient package.
Now all she had were confusion, awkward moments, and constant tension from trying to hide her feelings. The chorus of “You’re All I Want for Christmas” built as Bing Crosby belted it out.
Swell. She knew just how he felt.
“Reese?”
Her head popped up. Shelby had stepped inside and pulled the door shut behind her. Her dark hair was flecked with flurries. She wore a cute peacoat with dark trendy slacks.
Reese suddenly felt like a slob in her jeans and stained sweatshirt. “Hey, Shelby.”
“What’s wrong?” Shelby approached, dusted off the stool Griffen had occupied, and sat down.
She hadn’t mentioned her problem to the girls since that first night. She was hoping it would blow over. Instead it seemed to be blowing up. Right in her face. How long could she hide her attraction from Griffen? And what would he do when he found out?
“I stopped by to check out your progress.”
Progress? She blinked.
“On the store,” Shelby clarified, glancing around. “It’s coming along. I like the open loft concept. You found brick behind the walls like you were hoping.”
“Yep.”
Bing crooned on as they looked around, then Shelby’s eyes settled on hers. “Want to talk about it?”
Reese looked into her friend’s warm brown eyes and felt her defenses fall for the first time in weeks. She palmed her face. “What is wrong with me?”
Shelby rubbed her arm. “Nothing’s wrong with you, honey. Your feelings are just changing. There’s no crime in that.”
“But I don’t want them to. I feel tense all the time and awkward and afraid he’s going to realize what’s going on in my head. Everything was better before.”
“Maybe God has something different in mind.”
“Well, he failed to inform Griffen.”
Shelby chuckled softly. “It might take some time. You’ve always been able to talk to him about anything. What if you just told him how you feel—got it out there on the table?”
Reese dropped her hands. “No. That is not the plan.”
“You can’t plan everything, honey. God is the real planner.”
Just the thought of Griffen knowing, of how that would change things between them, made heat crawl up her neck and anxiety snake through her veins. He would distance himself from her, maybe even feel sorry for her.
Ick.
She shook her head. “I’m not losing his friendship over my temporary insanity.”
Shelby gave a sympathetic smile. “There’s nothing insane about having feelings for an incredible man.”
Shelby hadn’t known Griffen long, but she’d heard plenty of stories. And she was right. “He is pretty incredible, isn’t he.”
“I’m just saying, be open to whatever God has in store.
You never know. I mean, I never expected my friendship with Nick to change the way it did.”
It sounded great in theory, but that didn’t change the facts. “Griffen doesn’t see me that way. To him, I’m just his best buddy.”
“Well, that’s how you saw him until a couple weeks ago.”
True. Reese picked up the pencil on the counter and tapped it on her lip. “If only the same thing would happen to him.” It had struck out of the blue, like a lightning bolt. Maybe Griffen would get a lightning bolt too. Too bad something like that couldn’t be manufactured.
Could it?
Shelby propped her elbows on the plastic. “Isn’t Sawyer coming home soon for Christmas?”
“That’s what I heard. He’s taking a break from touring from Christmas through the wedding.”
“Maybe seeing your ex-fiancé will do something inside Griffen.”
“I don’t think so. It didn’t seem to matter when we were engaged. And clearly Sawyer’s no threat now.”
“You’re probably right. Well, we’ll just have to pray God opens Griffen’s eyes.”
An idea formed in Reese’s mind. “Or . . .”
Shelby raised her delicately arched brows. “Or . . .”
“Or I could help Griffen along just a little.” Now that she thought about it, the idea was growing on her. She absently bit the metal pencil tip.
Shelby narrowed her eyes. “What’s going on in that blond head of yours?”
“He sees me as a buddy, right? And I want him to see me as a woman.”
“Right . . .”
“Well, there’s nothing like a date to make a man see a woman as a lady.”
“You’re going to ask him out?”
“Heck no. I’m going to ask someone else out. He’ll see me with another man and realize he wants me for himself.” Okay, maybe that was simplifying things a tad. Reese shrugged. “Well. It might work.”
“I don’t know. Sometimes these things can get out of hand. Feelings can get hurt.”
Reese gnawed on the pencil. Shelby was right. “But if I were honest with the other guy, then there’d be nothing to lose.”
“I suppose . . .”
Reese was already searching her mental database for the right man. He had to be available and able to keep a secret. Good looks wouldn’t hurt either.
She smiled. “Joshua Campbell. He’s perfect. Nice looking, friendly, and available. Plus he owes me big-time. I taught him how to ski so he didn’t fall on his face in front of Betsy Harmeyer.”
“Isn’t Betsy married?”
Reese waved her off. “It was a few years ago. Josh is perfect, and I’m sure he’ll help me out. I’ll ask him today.”
After Shelby left, Reese went back to work, a new bounce in her step. Okay, God, new plan. Please make Griffen notice me. Please?
CHAPTER FOUR
Griffen slid to a stop, sending a spray of ice toward Reese. “Nice skates. You spared no expense.”
“They’re made to last.”
They shared the rink with a handful of tourists and a couple he remembered vaguely from high school. A tall man in a bulky coat lumbered across the ice in the shadowed corner. He lost his balance, and his arms windmilled before he regained his footing.
An old-fashioned waltzy song leaked from the speakers.
Griffen watched Reese execute a graceful turn. She looked beyond cute under the twinkling lights that danced in the trees around the rink. She finished the twirl and took a bow. Her cheeks were flushed with cold, and a relaxed smile curved her full lips.
“You become a ballerina while I was away?”
“As if I’d be caught dead in a tutu.”
“I’d pay money to see it.”
“Don’t hold your breath.”
Tonight she wore her usual jeans and a baby blue North Face parka. A fuzzy black hat covered her low ponytail and kept her ears warm.
“The gazebo looks awesome over there,” she said. “I love the scrolling on the eaves. Look, it’s already in use.”
Someone had lit the structure with white Christmas lights. During the warm months, the Garner Sisters would play from there on weekend evenings, replacing the canned music. Right now, a couple cuddled on the bench. When he’d been building it, he’d dreamed of Reese and him cuddling there under the stars. But then, he was always dreaming about Reese and him.
He was thinking of telling her soon. It was the reason he’d returned to Smitten. Well, that and to help the town rebuild. He watched her do another spin. Maybe he’d tell her tonight if he found the right moment. His heart bucked at the thought.
The timing never seemed right. When he’d realized his feelings three years earlier, she’d been dating Sawyer. Then, to his dismay, they’d become engaged. That was when he’d known he had to leave town. He couldn’t stand by and watch the woman he’d fallen in love with begin her life with someone else.
The man in the gazebo had lowered his head toward the woman.
“Look, they’re smooching,” Reese said.
He looked at Reese instead. Her lips curved in a dreamy smile that gave him courage. If not now, when? She already loved him. How big a gap could there be between “love” and “in love”? He’d never know what could be if he didn’t take a leap of faith.
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